Chance Encounters
by OnlyALittlePsycho
Summary: The first time they met, he saved her. She hasn't seen him since. Now, eleven years later, they meet again briefly at the train station. Imagine Mashiro's surprise when he's the new student in her class...
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: **I do NOT own After School Nightmare as much as it saddens me to say it. *sniffle sniffle*. That right lies with Setona Mizushiro.

**Mashiro's PoV ****(Four years old)**

"Kagome, Kagome, the bird in the cage, when will you come out? In the night before the dawn, the crane and the turtle slipped. Who stands behind you now? Kagome, Kagome, the bird …," I sang quietly to myself. There was no one else in sight. It was just me on the small beach.

I added a little flag that I brought from home to the highest tower of my sand castle. I stepped back, admiring my handiwork with a grin. My sand city was complete. Now it was play time.

I was in the middle of making the prince rescue the princess when the boys showed up. The leader, a kid only a couple of years older than I, sneered at me.

"And just what are you doing on our turf?" he questioned. I could hear the loathing in his voice so I didn't dare lift my head to gaze upon his face.

"I was just playing with my dolls," I said quietly.

"Well I don't like it." With that, he began stomping on the structures I had spent all week constructing with my parents. Tears started falling down my cheeks. "Awww, it looks like we got a cry baby on our hands. I HATE cry babies!" he screamed.

He delivered a swift kick to my stomach and I fell to the ground. It hurt so bad, and soon the other boys joined in. I was being kicked from every direction. My tear flow increased with every beating. I was in so much pain.

"Cry baby, cry baby, cry baby!" they chanted. I searched desperately for any sign of help, but there was no one. It was just me and them.

Unconsciousness crept around the outskirts of my mind. My sight was dimming, everything becoming black, but that's when I saw him. The boy that I knew would save me. He had black hair and glasses over dark, determined eyes.

His face was the last thing I saw before everything went completely black.

**Sou's PoV (a few minutes earlier) ****(Five years old)**

I was bored. Mom was at another one of her book signings, so I was all alone. This wasn't the first time I've been ditched though. Mom always says I can go with her and every once in a while I do, but I can tell she doesn't really want me there. I don't particularly want me there either. It gets really dull and some of the ladies start gaga-ing over me and pinching my cheeks, you know. It's really creepy. Most of the time, I just stay home.

I tossed a pebble into the lake just so I could watch the ripples expand. That was when I heard them.

"Cry baby, cry baby, cry baby!" Over and over I listened to them repeat the taunt, and it made me mad, really mad. It's not nice to call people names and then torture them some more after you've succeeded in making them cry. I didn't like it.

Breaking into a dead run, I took off in the direction of their voices. My blood began to boil when I came upon the scene. There were probably five or six guys against one little girl who was probably a year or two younger than them. I don't think I have to point out how unfair that is. The poor girl didn't even stand a chance.

"Hey! You stupid losers over there! Leave her alone!" I shouted. The largest boy there turned to face me. I recognized him as a student at my school.

His name was Taichi Lachio. He was a tall kid with broad shoulders and shaggy brown hair. He also possessed ice blue eyes that always contained malice and hatred, and during lunch he was constantly picking on the kids weaker than him. Unfortunately for this group of jerks though, this incident was the last straw for me.

My fist connected with his huge nose the moment Taichi smirked in what I assumed was identification. There was a large cracking noise and blood began spouting out in large quantities. His buddies started to freak out.

"Let's get out of here!" they all agreed and ran off with their tails between their legs. I took my turn to smirk at their retreating backs. Who knew I'd chase them off with one punch. That made me proud of myself. To the point of being cocky almost.

Feeling rather pleased with myself, I turned to the fragile girl lying in the sand beside me. Large bruises were already beginning to form on her pale skin, and trails of dried tears streamed from her red-rimmed eyes down to the end of her cheeks.

Once I made sure she was okay for the moment, I searched the remnants of her destroyed sand castle. I had noticed her playing in this spot earlier in the week with the people I assumed were her parents since the lady was very pregnant and stuff. All three of them had been in the sand slowly building the palace of soil. I briefly wondered where they were now.

My search ended when I unearthed two small dolls. I pocketed them, and then refocused my attention on the girl. She looked so frail, and I wasn't sure how to pick her up without hurting her further.

_Oh well, _I thought as I lifted her into my arms the same way brides are by the guy. You know, when they're walking through the door of their first house. It was like that.

Anyways, I started walking in the direction I had seen her go with her parents. Hopefully it would lead me to her house.

We had been about five minutes along the path when she started to moan. It was a low sound and I could tell she was in a lot of pain. It made me sad yet extremely angry at those stupid boys and I wished I had gotten the chance to beat _them_ up. Oh well, I had to focus on this girl now.

You couldn't begin to imagine to imaging my relief when I saw a house just off the path a little ways. I could see a woman bustling about dusting different things throughout the living room. Using my head, I pushed the doorbell and then waited for someone to answer my beckoning.

An elderly woman swung the door open. Her skin lost some color when she saw my small burden.

"W…wh…what happened?" she stuttered.

"The boys at the beach weren't being very nice, and I didn't get there soon enough," I said softly. "Does she live here?"

"N… no, but her grandmother is a good friend of mine. She lives just down the street. Come on. I'll take you there, young man."

The woman told her husband she was going out for a bit, and then began ushering me down the gravel road. She kept glancing at the girl about every other minute, and each time her concern only grew. I could see it in her face. It was good to know someone was worried about her though.

"This is the place," the lady said. As it turned out, it was a log cabin style house, but you could tell it had at least 2 stories and definitely more than one or two rooms.

We knocked on the door, but no one answered. A few seconds later, we tried again. Nothing happened.

"Well that's weird. Ami's always home. I wonder where she's at. Why don't you lay the girl down on the swing over there for a minute? I'm going to go check the back door."

With that, she was gone around to the back of the house. It was just me and the girl whose name I did not know. It was starting to bother me.

"All right, mister," I heard a voice say. "Bring the gal in."

Looking up, I saw the lady from earlier and another older woman. I gathered that this was her grandma. I recollected her in my arms while making sure to be gentle. The occasional moan was still escaping her lips.

"Set her on the couch."

I did as I was told and the mystery girl was soon resting in relative comfort. "Thank you. Would you like me to call your mom and have her come get you? I take you home myself, but my daughter's in the middle of labor as I'm sure you can tell," she finished as a scream resonated through the house. I shook my head.

"No, it's fine. I could use the exercise. Besides, my mom's not home. She's busy with her work. I'll just walk home."

I touched the girl's hair, and whispered in her ear that she needed to get better real soon, and then I was out the door. I thought that after our parting in the living room, the girl would be gone from my life for good. I realized I was wrong however, when I found her dolls in my pocket a few days later….

**A/N: **Let me know what you think. Even if I only get one person that likes it, I'll probably still write more. I actually have some written. I think there's gonna be a big time jump so they'll be fifteen and sixteen, but tell me if you think something needs to come before that. Feel free to ask questions. I'll do my best to give you an answer!

And I want criticism. Definitely criticism. If there's a part you don't like, or one you think needs work, or if there's just like a grammar or spelling error, let me know. I can take it! I know this isn't perfect. I've read it over a couple times, and don't really see anything, but you might. Let me know.

Hopefully you know what this whole annoying babble boils down to- REVIEW! PLEASE! Don't make me BEG!

**P.S.** These babbles won't usually be this long. Too much of an author's note kinda bothers me. That's why there's only a disclaimer at the top, and that's why that will probably be the only thing ever there aside from like answers to questions you might have. I find them long a/n's annoying. End of babble. Hopefully….

**P.S.S. **If you like Naruto, and the couple SasuSaku, check out my other story. I have honestly grown out of them a bit, but I wanted to post it…


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: **… Don't own it. Happy now? I admitted it.

**Mashiro's PoV**

Slowly, my eyes began to flutter open, but I almost wished they weren't. The pain that had been caused by the boys quickly spread through my body like a wildfire. A groan escaped my slightly swollen lips.

My thoughts briefly flickered to the events from yesterday. There are bruises all over my body from the boys' abuse, and I couldn't stop thinking about the black haired boy from yesterday. I wanted to see him again, to thank him, and I planned on going back to the beach later to see if I could find him. I became distracted, however, when someone creaked open the door.

"Hey, sweetheart," my daddy said when he entered my bedroom. "You finally decide to wake up? Mommy and I were worried about you."

The bed sank a little as he sat down beside me. I chanced a small grin and found that it didn't really cause me to hurt too much even though my head already was. The small realization made me feel like taking on the challenge of speaking.

"How's Mommy?" I asked real quiet and slow. My lips didn't like me talking very much.

"She's okay, but I think she's been better."

His statement made me raise my head and furrow my eyebrows. The baby should have been here by now, so Mama should be really happy. Why is she only okay? I asked my daddy this, and he said that God had re-decided on letting Mommy have another baby, and that the baby was with God again, like my twin brother.

"Can I see her?" I wanted to know.

"Sure, sweetheart, but she might be sleeping. In the mean time, do you mind telling me how you got those bruises? The boy that brought you home just said there were some really mean bullies at the beach."

"He's right. There were a bunch of boys that were kicking me and calling me a crybaby, but I'm okay. It doesn't hurt too much."

My daddy got a really worried look on his face. "Let me go get you some medicine okay? It'll help with the pain."

With that, he disappeared from my sight. I could faintly hear his footsteps as he ambled down to the kitchen. He returned a moment later with a small cup filled partway with a strange looking liquid.

"Drink up squirt. This'll dull the throbbing for you. Then we'll go see Mommy. I peaked in on her and she's awake, but we'll still need to be real quiet when we go in okay?"

I nodded and Daddy carefully lifted me into his arms. Mommy, noiselessly rocking in her chair, was staring out the window when we walked in. She didn't turn to look at us, and didn't say anything either. It was like she was stone. Crawling out of my fathers embrace, I padded across the carpet to stand by my mommy. I placed a hand on her arm, and she turned her head to look at me.

There was a very sad look in her face and tears streamed down her cheeks.

"Oh baby," she sobbed as she pulled me onto her lap. Her palm went to my hair to continuously smooth it down over and over again, and I nuzzled my face in her neck. We stayed in that position for a very long time. Neither one of us noticed when Daddy left the room….

**5 Days Later…**

The funeral had passed by in a blur. I hadn't really noticed what was going on, except for a lot of sad family members and friends.

Some guy talked about how my baby brother, yes the baby had been a boy, had been cheated out of life and said some other stuff I forgot about the minute he said it. Then we placed him in the hole next to my other brother. Then we went back to Grandma's house, but only to grab our belongings before heading to our own home.

Mom's spent the past two days in the nursery that would never be anyone's room, and she hasn't eaten much. Dad and I are pretty worried.

I didn't get to see my savior again before we left. I had been looking for him, but he wasn't anywhere near the beach when I went with Obasan one day. I wanted to thank him for helping me, and see if he has my missing dolls.

All I can do is hope, about him and Mommy…

**A Month and a Half Later…**

Mom finally came out of the nursery today. She didn't say much, but it was still an improvement. My birthday is in a few days. Dad and I think that has something to do with it.

I still think about the boy with glasses and black eyes. My dreams are often filled with his face.

**Mashiro's Birthday**

Mom made me a cake for my birthday, and we even had a small party. Grandma came over to help out, too. All of my aunts and uncles and their kids showed up after a while, and then everyone went to dinner and see a movie. Then there were presents and cake and ice cream when we got home.

The best part of the day though, Mommy smiled. I haven't seen her smile in a long time. That was my best present, although no one realized that. It made today my favorite birthday. I didn't think another one had a chance of topping this one.

**1 Year After Mashiro's Birthday…**

I still haven't seen the mysterious boy, not even when I visit Grandma. But I won't stop trying. Besides, I think he might have my dolls. I haven't seen them since that day.

Mom's almost back to normal. She's gone back to work. She smiles often. Her friends take here out to just have fun at least once a week, and she and Daddy have gotten a lot closer. She's practically a new person. It makes me so happy. I only hope that she'll one day be her old self again.

**Sou's PoV **

It's been over a year since the day I saved her, carried her home, and I still have her dolls in a box. I keep them in my bottom dresser drawer. I think about her all the time, wishing every night to see her again even though I have yet to do so. I won't give up.

I don't know her name though, and it makes finding her more difficult. It bothers me. I want so

**A/N: **So how was it? I kinda edited it myself, so I don't know if it's perfect. Oh well. Please review. It makes me happy and happy writers update. And **dragons chaotica**

you're my new favorite person. Thanks for the awesome review.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** Only in my dreams…

**Quick A/N: **Mashiro's now fifteen and Sou's approaching sixteen. There's been a big time jump. They haven't seen each other since that day on the beach, well not until now anyways…

And I told you happy writers update. I saw my lovely reviews a couple days ago (I've been internet deprived) and I sat down and started working my ass off to write this and get it up for you awesome people!

**Mashiro's PoV**

Today's the day of my fifteenth birthday. I just can't wait to meet up with my friends after school. We're going to my house for a small party, and then my best friend and I are heading over to the mall. It's going to be a blast!

As I neared the station, I watched the train pull to a stop and the doors screech open. People poured out onto the platform while I flashed my card to the person at the booth. I flashed him a small smile and was on my way.

I was zoned out, thinking about my tennis shoes and how I should have bought something else, when I bumped into him. He had dark hair, eyes so grey they were almost black, glasses, and he for some reason, he seemed so familiar. Like I should have known who he was. Like some time, in another life, I did know who he was. Like we were connected somehow.

I shook myself. I don't know this boy. I've never seen him before in my life. He handed me my wallet, and we went on our own ways. Funny how we both ended up on the same train car.

Throughout the entire ride, I kept finding myself looking over to him. I just couldn't figure out how he looked so familiar. One time, he caught my staring and I blushed profusely after turning away. I found it extremely embarrassing, yet I found myself taking in one last look after the train halted.

He was looking back. His dark eyes depicted his curiosity and for a moment, the world faded away. People went about their business and de-boarded. I, meanwhile, was lost in the mystery of this familiar stranger. Nothing else mattered but me and him.

Then a man bumped into my shoulder causing me to startle. Our connection was lost. When I was able to return my attentions from the man's apologies, the boy was gone.

**-****Sou's PoV**

It was her. There was no doubt in my mind. Even though so much time had passed, I knew who she was. Her face was more mature to be sure, but there was no mistaking those eyes, those adorable hazel eyes. After 11 years, 1 months and 24 days, I finally found my girl from the beach.

**Mashiro's PoV**

"Mashiro! Wait up!" my best friend Kureha shouted. I turned to the right and there she was barreling towards me. A grin broke out across my face.

"Hey, girlie. What's up?" I asked.

"Nothing much," she panted, "but have you heard the news? We're getting a new student sometime this week. It's some rich boy from Tokyo. And are we still on for tonight? I know how your parents like to take back what they said a few minutes beforehand."

"Hm, no I hadn't heard, and yeah. We're still on. They haven't cancelled yet, and I don't think they will since it's my birthday. Why don't you come to my house around six-thirty n then we can go hit the mall. Don't be surprised if my parents tag along though. Mom's been off a little bit the last month or so since it's their anniversaries, you know?"

Kureha gave me a sympathetic look. "That's okay. I totally understand, though it is kind of a drag. I was looking forward to no 'rentals. I was looking forward to getting a tattoo."

I had to agree with her there. While Kureha was planning on some flower that meant beauty (I couldn't remember the name), I was going to get my baby siblings' names and a cross across my lower back. I didn't care if my parents got pissed. Okay, I cared some, but I wanted to keep my brothers close. I thought it made perfect sense. Too bad Mom and Dad didn't agree…

(**A/N: **picture Ibiki from the show/manga Naruto for Hibiki. I kind of borrowed him for this part. N no I don't own him either just so no one yells at me)

I barely managed to plop down into my seat as the tardy bell rang and I let out a deep sigh of release. Hibiki- sensei was very strict and tardiness was something he despised. A hushed silence fell over the classroom as we all waited for our sensei to begin. He merely stared at each one of us one by one until his eyes landed in an intense glare on me. I wanted to cringe and sink into my seat but I knew it couldn't. I think Hibiki hated cowering more than tardiness.

"We will wait until our newest student arrives to begin," he said after a very prolonged pause. As if on cue, the door opened to reveal the latest addition to our class. My head shifted on its own accord to gaze at him, and I nearly fell out of my seat. It was the guy I kept running into this morning! He was the new kid!

"Miss Ichijo, care to join us up front for a moment?"

I snapped my attention back to Hibiki-sensei. He had that scary look on his face so I knew I was in trouble for reasons unknown to me. My body trembled as I took what seemed to be my walk of doom.

"Yes, sir?" was all I was able squeeze out.

"What is your excuse for not fulfilling your duties this morning?" sensei uttered loud enough for the sleepers in the back of class to hear.

"M…my duties, sir?" I had no idea what he was getting at.

"Yes, you were to escort Mr. Mizuhashi around for his first week here were you not?" he growled.

"Umm… yes sir?" I said it like a question.

"Give me a straight answer. You were or you weren't, and if I recall correctly the office instructed me not to mark you tardy because of your job concerning Mizuhashi."

I was struck momentarily speechless. I hadn't known that we were getting a new student until Kureha told me this morning, and I especially hadn't known I was playing tour guide for him.

"Yes sir, I was," I lied, my eyes on my stupid tennis shoes.

"Just as I thought. Detention this Thursday," he barked with a smug look on his face. "Mizuhashi, you can share a textbook with Ichijo for today. You'll be sitting with her throughout the rest of the year. Now go sit down so I can begin my lecture."

**Sou's PoV**

I followed the girl I finally knew to be Ichijo to her seat towards the back of the class. Her shoulders were somewhere in-between defeat and stubborn pride, not quite slouched but not standing tall either. I couldn't help but wonder what was going on inside her brain.

It was obvious to me that she had no idea that she was to show me around the school. She looked like a deer in headlights when he told her about the assignment. It made me want to defend her like I did all those years ago at the beach.

I took the seat next to Ichijo, and even though I tried paying attention to my newest sensei, I continuously found my eyes straying to examine her more closely. The fact we were sharing a book didn't help matters either. She was fairly distracting.

Her silky looking hair was cut into a short bob that I found very refreshing. It was nice to know that not every girl out there had to have long curls. I was also able to capture the faint traces of her exquisite scent. I couldn't tell if she wore perfume or if she was just naturally delicious smelling. Her facial features had also transformed from those of a little girl into those of a young woman.

And while I couldn't see her soulful eyes, I did see the occasional tear that fell onto the journal she was diligently keeping notes in. She shorthanded every word Hibiki said, not wanting to miss a letter. I truly did not understand how she could work her ass off for someone who just treated her like shit less than five minutes ago. Had I been in her place, I would have been fuming.

"You know, you really should be listening to what he's saying instead of staring at me," she whispered softly. God, her voice was the song of angels. "He's likely to give us a quiz over this stuff tomorrow."

"Well then, I suppose I'll just have to steal your notes at the end of class. You don't mind do you?" I grinned, and her head shook from side to side.

"I don't care. I won't be studying anyways, and you'll need a weeks worth of stuff. The quiz is over everything he's taught so far, not just today's lesson."

"Good to know. And I'll do my best to listen… for now." My words brought a slight giggle out of her.

"Just shut up."

I walked with Mashiro (I learned her first name towards the end of class) down to the lunch room and she was even kind enough to let me join her friends and her for lunch. About half way through the break however, Mashiro's face was buried into her hands because her friends broke out in a boisterous rendition of happy birthday. I, of course, joined in and enjoyed the deep shade of red that took over her cheeks.

"Why didn't you tell me it was your birthday?" I inquired once the singing was over and the cupcakes were passed out.

"Because I just met you for one, and secondly, it's not that big 'a deal," she muttered while shooting her friends dirty looks.

"Sure it is. Who wouldn't want their birthday celebrated? We have to be thankful for every day we live. Instead of viewing it as another year older, just think on each birthday that you got to finish another year of life."

She was quiet for a moment, and then she looked up to give me a broad grin.

"Thanks, Sou," was all she said.

(**A/N: **I almost ended it here and then I felt bad for making you guys wait so long, so here's some more.)

**Mashiro's PoV**

As I expected, my family was waiting for me when I walked through the door and I listened to another round of the birthday song. Once they finished singing, I was ushered into the dining room where I did the traditional blowing out of the candles and cut the cake myself. Presents came once everyone had eaten their fill of sugar. All in all, it was a pretty typical but fun party.

My best present though was nothing my family members had given me, but Sou's advice. It was still ringing in my head. _Just think of it as another year completed that you got to live. _I thought I had been until he said that. I thought that because of my dead siblings I was always grateful for my life. Maybe I was wrong…

The sound of my family members beginning to leave brought me out of my musings. They all filed out the front door with hugs and kisses until my grandma was the only one left.

"Alright sweetheart," she said with a small smile. "Have fun with your friends tonight, but don't do anything I wouldn't do. And that includes the ugly guys," she whispered into my ear so that my parents wouldn't hear. We both started laughing like no other.

"Okay, Grandma. I'll be sure to remember that," I said with a small shake of my head. Some days I truly wondered about that woman.

It was a few minutes after she left that I saw Kureha and our friend Ami pull up into the driveway.

"Mom, Dad, they're here! I'm gonna take off now!" I shouted.

So far so good…

Nothing yet…

Still nothing…

"Okay, baby," I finally heard my mom say a little bit reluctantly. She came over and pulled me into a hug. "Have fun, but don't do anything reckless please."

"I won't. We'll be back by ten. Don't worry."

She let me go, and I gave her a big grin before grabbing my stuff and rushing out the door. I hopped into the front seat of Ami's car and off we went.

"Who's ready to party?" Kureha shouted. I laughed at her enthusiasm and cranked up the music.

"Where to first?" Ami asked. There was a brief pause in which no one spoke. We stared at each other be fore shouting: "THE MALL!" Cackling like maniacs we turned off into a parking lot and then hopped onto the soonest train.

Around seven o'clock we had finished shopping in all the stores we cared to shop in. I made out like a bandit. I bought as well as received three pairs of shoes and sandals, a new dress suit, and several shirts and dresses. My top favorite was probably the lavender silk dress that I figured I'd find a use for eventually.

It had a long skirt that touched the floor and flowed away from my body. The top was pleated until the bottom of the bust line where a cream belt-thing tied around and flowed down the back of the dress. It had off the shoulder straps with a few dark purple jewels on them. I absolutely loved it! There really needed to be a reason for me to wear it.

"So, since your mom didn't come do you wanna go get those tats now?" Kureha asked.

"Why not?" I claimed although inwardly I was crushing down the guilt of betraying my parents.

**Sou's PoV**

I was lying on my bed just staring at the small dolls in my hands. I still had them. Every time we moved I made sure they were one of the first things in my suitcase. I wasn't taking any chance of leaving them behind because now I could return them-even of I was going to hang onto them a little bit longer. Mashiro Ichijo had to be ready when I gave them back.

I turned my attention back to the pile of notes Ichijo sent me home with. There were a lot of them, so I was rather relieved to see that she had transferred all her past notes into words and were no longer in the shorthand version. Todays, however, were still in the abbreviated form and I struggled to know their meanings. I guess that's what I got for staring, huh.

Around ten-thirty I turned of my light and crawled into bed.

"Good night, Mashiro Ichijo. Happy birthday."

**A/N: **So how was it? I haven't even edited it or reread it yet, so I'm just hopin _word_ doesn't lie to me too much. And as always I plead for your lovely comments. They are after all, what got me to write this chapter, because if I'm honest, I had completely forgotten this one amidst the sea of all my other stories. Therefore, the more reviews I get the more likely I am to update!


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: Once again, don't own it =(**

**A/N: **I apologize in advance for any weird mistakes like words where they don't belong or missing letters because now we have a laptop and the little touchpad thing is constantly sending my cursor into the wrong spot and screwing me all up.

**Mashiro's PoV**

I stared at the black ink that now decorated my back. The workmanship was very detailed because he designed the cross to look like real wood. As a result, all the grain patterns had been displayed within it. My twin's name was in a calligraphy style of writing on the lower, left-hand side of the cross. My other brother was exactly across from it on the right-hand side. I smiled. Now they would always be remembered now. I could never forget the blessing I've been given.

"That looks amazing, Mush," Kureha said using her little nickname for me. I gazed at her from the corner of my eye. It was by no means my favorite term of endearment, and she knew it. Hell, everyone did. The girl just thought she could get away with it since she's my best friend. I shook my head. She was right and everyone knew that, too.

Our group stood in front of the mirror for a few more minutes admiring the handiwork on both Kureha's and my skin. Then the manager told us we needed to get out of the way or get another tattoo. Needless to say we left. I was already going to be in enough shit for this one.

At about three minutes to ten we pulled into my driveway. We were cutting it close I knew, but I expected there would be some leniency since it was my birthday. The three of us tip-toed into the house, being very careful not to wake anyone who might have been sleeping. My mom was sitting in the family room waiting however.

"Hey, Mom, we're home now. You can go to bed," I said as I crouched down beside her and smiled a little.

She patted my hair for a minute, and she developed one of her sad expressions that hadn't appeared for a while. I could see the tears threatening to spill over onto her porcelain face. "Oh, baby. I'm so proud of you. I just wish your brothers were here too."

I pulled her into an embrace, and thankfully Kureha and Ami realized that it was best for them to slip away quietly. I saw them leave from the edges of my vision. I focused on comforting my mother, and after a few minutes was able to coax her into her bedroom. Then I woke my father and left him to care for her.

"It'll feel better in the morning. Get some sleep," I told my mother. "Night, Daddy." I pressed a kiss to his forehead and left them to be alone.

I found my friends lumbering around the kitchen. They pulled up their mouths a little in what I'm sure was to be reassurance of some sort. "She gonna be okay?" Ami asked.

"Yeah. Believe it or not that is her in one of her better remembrance moods. She'll be alright in the morning. But who wants ice cream? I'm starved," I proclaimed and started digging around in the freezer for the carton. In reality I just wanted a change of subject. They seemed to respect my wish and once three cartons and spoons were secured, we relocated to my bedroom for pointless girl talk.

_He was just staring out the window, not moving in the least. All I could see of him was his broad back and his long black hair hanging down around his face. He seemed upset. I didn't like it. I couldn't be sure I wasn't the source of his troubles. _

"_It was easier for me if you believed I was the knight," he explained. After that, he continued to speak but I was only able to make out a few words. One moment everything was crystal clear and then in the next it was like the white noise from the television. "…involved… still…if…the knight…sister…issue…," was all I was able to understand._

_I felt my lips move, but I didn't know what I was saying. I saw his head lift slightly though, so he must have understood._

"_Ichijo, have you ever seen a ghost?" my mystery man asked, and as he spoke he began to rotate his head to face mine…_

I was then thrown back into consciousness only to find myself staring into black nothingness. My gaze shifted to the clock on my dresser. Ugh. It was only 3:18…in the morning. Beside me, Kureha and Ami slept soundly, undisturbed in their slumber. Lucky them.

I pondered the meaning of my dream. It felt as if I should remember it, like I had lived it at one point in my life. So why didn't I? I debated it until my friends woke up a few hours later.

**Sou's PoV**

I groaned as my alarm went off. It was most definitely not time to get up yet. Having school so early that I actually had to wake myself up at this ungodly hour should be illegal. Shoving my face back into the pillow, I tried to pretend that it was the weekend.

There was a knock on my door two minutes later. "Master Mizuhashi, you need to wake up sir. You can't lie in your bed all day. It's only your second day of school here."

Oh yeah, I thought with a frown. We just moved again. Mom got it into her head somehow that her business would thrive here if we only put in a little effort. I sighed, and dragged myself in the general direction of the shower.

The hot water felt good on my back. I could gradually feel myself returning to the land of the living the longer I stood in it. I racked my brain for what I was in for today and recollected that I was going to have to take a quiz for Hibiki-sensei. That made me think of Mashiro Ichijo, my little beach girl. Just the thought of her brought a smile to my face, and suddenly school didn't seem like such a harsh prospect.

Once I was decent I made my way into the kitchen. Surprisingly enough, my mom was still sitting at the counter snacking on an apple.

"Good morning, Mother," I said after I placed a kiss on her cheek. She smiled funnily at me.

"You seem like you're in a good mood," she pointed out.

"Do I?" I gave her a small smirk.

'Yes, you do. Remember to eat your breakfast and don't be late to school. Your teacher called my office yesterday to tell me that your tardiness would not be acceptable again."

"I won't be. Don't worry."

We exchanged a few more pleasantries and then she headed off to her shop. I shook my head. Some days, such as this one, she could be very talkable, one might even say nice, but the next day she'll be as cross as a crabby crocodile. I swear the woman was bipolar.

One hour later, my chauffer pulled into the school's parking lot. He dropped me off at the front doors, and then I was on my own.

'Mizuhashi-san!" I heard her say from across the lawn. I turned my head and sure enough Mashiro was running towards me. "There you are. I have been waiting forever. I didn't want to miss you today since I wasn't here yesterday. Have you figured out your locker yet?"

I felt the corners of my lips pull up of their own accord. "No, I don't even really know where it's at to be honest."

Her eyes widened and she looked at me like I was crazy. "Let me see your schedule. All the info should be on there."

After I dug through my bag a minute, I was able to hand over the piece of paper she requested. Her groan did not sound promising. "What?"

"Your locker is on the other side of the school from our classroom. Since you made a point to be as late as you possibly could without actually making us tardy, we don't have time to make it. We'll just have to wait until lunch." She was frowning. "Hurry up. We don't want a repeat of yesterday. Hibiki only allows one day of forgiveness to the new kids."

I couldn't help but notice how often she said 'we.' I guess she really was planning on being my own little tour guide the next few days. I was fine with that. It meant we would be spending more time together than I had originally intended. At least, her "assignment" provided me a reason to be around her and let her get to know me, to trust me even. The next few months were going to be very interesting.

Mashiro was right. Less than thirty seconds after the bell rang Hibiki was passing out a quiz over the notes of the past weeks. If a body wasn't in the chair, no quiz was passed out at that seat and that person was out of luck. Turns out it was a good thing we didn't try to visit my locker.

"That was one of the hardest quizzes I've ever taken in my life." Mashiro claimed as we were leaving the classroom an hour later. I smiled. In all honesty, it would have been quite difficult for a student who maintained average grades. Hibiki was quite the evil man, making questions based on the insignificant details alongside the few important facts from his lectures and from the textbook. Luckily I had studied Mashiro's notes down to the last dot the night before. Not only that, my brain was like a sponge and whatever information I read was stuck in there for whenever I needed it. I was prepared.

"Sorry I stole all your notes. I should have made copies or something." I told her.

"It's okay. I still have the shorthand ones I took in class. They work just as well," she informed me.

"Glad to hear it."

For the rest of the day we just talked of pointless things as we wandered around school and attended classes.

The next month passed by rather quickly. Before I knew it, parent teacher conferences were upon us. I brought it up with my mom, but she brushed it off.

"_I'll be there if I can, Sou." _

She said it, but I doubted it. Her work always came first. Mom would be getting back from some business trip in Tokyo that was a week or two long the day before the conferences. Catching up on stuff at the new shop would be her first priority. I would be lucky if she even remembered about me.

I sighed and looked down at the dolls on my dresser. The small princess was smiling and waving a handkerchief in her left hand as if signaling for her beloved prince. The other was a cowboy, spurs and all. I wondered what she was pretending the situation was as she played in the sand that day. I bet the princess was locked in the tower and the little cowboy was to go to her rescue and defeat the bad dragon.

"So, Sou, are you coming to the festival?" Kureha asked the next day at lunch.

"Festival? What festival?"

"The one the senior class puts on every year. The student council rounds up volunteers from that grade and then they set up all sorts of fun booths and games and stuff. It's really fun. You should come with us. I'll probably end up going as Raiden's date and I don't want to leave Ichijo all on her own."

To this Mashiro blushed. "It's fine, Kureha. Really. I don't need him to ruin his night watching over me."

"There's no trouble, honestly, Mashiro. I'll enjoy going with you to the festival. Otherwise I'd just be sitting at home studying. You'd really be doing me a favor just by attending with me," I said. A subtle blush ascended her cheeks.

"Okay then. I guess as your friend I can't allow you to sit at home all night long." I could hear the small smile in her voice which in turned caused a small smirk of my own to develop. I couldn't wait for this festival to get here.

**One Week Later…**

**Mashiro's PoV**

It was the day before the festival. AND THERE WAS NOTHING IN MY CLOSET FOR ME TO WEAR! What was I supposed to go in? I had to look good for Sou. There was no way I was going to let him see me in regular clothes. All I had were boring shorts and tee shirts. That simply wouldn't do.

"Kureha, we have a problem." I said the minute I had her on the phone. "I have to go shopping right now, and I need your opinion. How fast can you be ready?"

She chuckled. "What? Want to look good for Sou tomorrow? I'm actually on my way to the mall now. I can pick you up in about five."

"Good. Hurry up." I ignored her comment about Sou. Just because something was true didn't mean I had to own up to it. "Hey Mom, can I go to the mall with Kureha?"

"Sure, sweetheart, but be careful, and say goodbye to the alter before you leave."

Five minutes later I was off to go shopping for Sou, I mean me.

"No. No. No. Not happening. Ugh. I can't believe you tried that on." Each time I came out in something new Kureha immediately shot it down. "We need something different. Go put your own clothes back on and then come with me. It's my turn to pick."

Five minutes later I was weighed down by a mountain of clothes. I seriously hoped that Kureha was not planning on making me try on all of these. We would be here well past midnight.

"That'll do it for now. Go model, my little Barbie."

The first outfit was a pair of a light wash denim miniskirt set off by a dark blue tank top with a white shrug. I personally liked it, but I didn't think it was fair appropriate. My legs would be freezing by night's end and I didn't want to flash anyone when navigating the rides. Kureha agreed with me.

The next few outfits met their demises at a face pace. Nothing seemed to work. They just didn't suit the occasion or my personality. It was only a friendly outing to the festival, not a date. I didn't want to look "sexy" or provocative or like I expected something from him after the night was over. I was becoming quite exasperated.

"That's it!" Kureha said in a rather loud voice at my next get-up. My latest fashion consisted of dark-wash skinny jeans and a light brown shrug over a gold tank top completed with a loopy belt. I giggled. I liked it too, but I didn't know it warranted that kind of a reaction. Maybe Sou would like it just as well… hopefully.

**At the Festival…**

**Sou's PoV**

I guided Mashiro through the parking lot towards all the horrible carnival music. I did not see what was so great about a fair if you had to listen to this god awful thing they considered music the whole time. It only seemed like noise to me. My only consolation was the girl on whose back I rested my hand.

She looked amazing tonight. Her hair had been curled and her bangs pinned up. Her face showed small traces of make-up, nothing over the top, but definitely not her usual. I knew that she was not one to try and cover her face with cosmetics. Tonight however, I was glad she did. She looked fit for the runway.

"Hey, Sou, what ride do you want to get on first?" Mashiro asked, interrupting my thoughts. I shrugged.

"I don't know, and I thought this was a festival, not a carnival."

She blushed. "Well, it really is more of a fair, but it started out as a plain festival, but things have progressed over the years. Everyone still just calls it that though."

"I see," I said with an amused smile. "So, you were naming the good rides…"

"Oh yeah," she mumbled and rattled off a bunch of names. Some of them seemed familiar, but others I had never heard of in my life.

"What's the Fireball?" I inquired. It sounded interesting.

"You'll just have to ride it. You don't get scared of being upside down at high altitudes do you?" I shook my head. "Good. Let's go!" She grabbed onto my hand and began rushing towards the entrance of the fair. I laughed.

"That was awesome! Please tell me we can do that again before we leave!" she pleaded as we de-boarded the Scrambler. As if I could deny her anything.

"Of course. Now let me treat you to some refreshments. Kureha would have my head on a platter if I didn't make sure you had food in your stomach." I added at her look of discomfort. The threat of my wellbeing seemed to do the trick however. She resumed her previous state of jubilancy and once again grabbed onto to my hand.

It felt natural, our skin on skin contact. I liked it. I prayed she would continue to hold it the rest of my life.

I found myself standing in front of the place with ice cream and cotton candy. "This is your idea of good food?" I mused. She bit her lip, something I found absolutely addictive and adorable.

"Not really, but I have this sweet tooth, you see, and it really wants a caramel ice cream cone," she said, gazing up at me through her eyelashes, her lower lip stuck between her teeth. "Please, Sou, just this one. Then we can eat all the healthy food you want.'

"Alright," I conceded. "But your right. Just this one bit of sugar. Next we find food that's relatively good for us."

"Oh thank you!" she squealed and threw her arms around my neck with so much force I nearly fell over.

"Why don't we go find ourselves a spot to sit down?" I said once we had our desserts a few minutes later.

"Okay," she grinned and gave her cone a large lick. My mind being that of a sixteen year-old boy immediately wondered what it would be like if… I jerked myself back into a more proper line of thinking. We weren't even officially dating! I would change that status soon though. At least, I hoped I would….

"Do you think we could just go play some games for a bit? I don't think eating and then puking it back up sounds very fun," she grimaced. I laughed. She certainly was acting a bit childish but I wouldn't have her any other way. After all, who else could make me enjoy life the way she did?

"I reckon you're right. I prefer my food to remain in my stomach. What games do you suggest?" I inquired. I knew that brilliant brain of hers was scheming. She began chewing on her lower lip.

"Well, there is always the game where you have to shoot the targets… or the knocking down the milk bottles with baseballs… or racing your characters by getting the bean baggie into the target…" she trailed off. I smirked. All of those games involved potentially dangerous things just redirected from other people to poor, defenseless targets. Mashiro had a sadistic side waiting to be released.

"Why don't we start with the racing one?" I said. It seemed the safest.

"Okay! That works for me!" my companion cheered and hauled me towards the center where all the small gaming booths were located. Her grip on my wrist was tight, but not uncomfortable. I repressed the urge to chuckle again. I figured I shouldn't laugh too much. She might get offended.

The characters for this game were small dogs stuck in a running position and every time someone landed a bean bag into the hole at the back of their slot, their dog moved forward. The first dog to reach the finish line won obviously.

My little character crossed the red line before Mashiro's did, and I saw the disappointed look on her face.

"What prize did you want?" I asked her.

"The snake…" she murmured as she watched herself dig a hole into the poor dirt with her heal.

The vendor heard her and plucked the neon green plush off the pole with a smile. "Here you are, sir. Have a good night and enjoy."

I nodded before laying the snake around her shoulders like a scarf. "So… now what? Another game or did you want something else to eat?"

"I'm still full from the ice cream!" she protested. "More games!"

"As you wish," I quoted the one princess movie with a smile. I would do anything to see her happy. Funny how something as simple as returning two little dolls turned into a life's mission to see that their owner is content- but I wouldn't have it any other way.

**A/N: Sorry sorry sorry for not updating sooner! I feel so mean but my dad banned the entire website due to the fact that it slows the computer down and he believes that it is loaded with viruses just waiting to kill our computer. To top that off both the schools and the library have filters which have blocked this wonderful website. I'm just lucky that my friend is going to let me use her computer every now and again to post updates.**

**I made sure that this one was on the longer side. I added an extra three pages! Now I am going to go work on some of my other stories and try to keep the lengths of them even! I have two more, one on this website and two on fictionpress. Hopefully I will be able to update all of them!**

**And the dream that Mashiro has in this chapter is actually in one of the books. I think it's in number nine but I'm not positive. I wrote most of this a while ago. **

**So before this note gets completely out of hand and annoying (too late for that I know) I will finish by asking you to be lovely people and review! I thank everyone that has for the past three chapters and this is me, signing off, until the next chappie!**


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